Ultrasound imaging systems are advantageous for use in medical diagnosis as they are non-invasive, easy-to-use, and do not subject patients to the dangers of electromagnetic radiation. An ultrasound imaging system transmits sound waves of very high frequency (e.g., 2 MHz to 10 MHz) into the patient and processes echoes reflected from structures in the patient's body to form two dimensional or three dimensional images. Many ultrasound information processing algorithms are known in the art, for example, echo mode (“B mode”) processing algorithms, motion mode (“M mode”) processing algorithms, Doppler shift echo processing algorithms, color flow mode processing algorithms, and others.
Present day ultrasound imaging systems typically comprise a host computer or processor that is responsible for user interface control, image display, and overall system control. These systems further typically comprise one or more peripheral devices, such as ultrasound scanner/probe assemblies and digital signal processors, that perform specific ultrasound information processing functions. As described in Ser. No. 09/224,635, supra, prior art ultrasound architectures generally use custom, proprietary connections and protocols for transferring information among the different ultrasound system elements. Connections between the ultrasound system elements are typically implemented using hardware parallel busses that, while at least partially conforming to an industrial standard such as the VME standard, are otherwise uniquely adapted for the specific hosts, scanners, digital signal processors, etc. being provided by the specific system manufacturer. Ultrasound algorithms, such as those embodied in the scan sequences of an ultrasound scanner, are typically stored in custom hardware memory maps within that scanner, and can only be changed or upgraded if the specific memory map architecture of that specific scanner is known.
Accordingly, in the case of the prior art architectures supra, it is either impossible or impractical to substitute a first manufacturer's ultrasound component (such as a host, scanner, or digital signal processor) into a second manufacturer's ultrasound processing system. As a result, it is less feasible for the purchaser of an ultrasound processing system to easily upgrade to newer, better, and/or less expensive ultrasound components that are being continually developed in the industry. It is also less feasible for the purchaser to upgrade to new ultrasound information processing algorithms or scanning strategies as they are developed in the industry.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide an ultrasound communication method that, upon being followed by a plurality of ultrasound component manufacturers, would allow for the construction of an ultrasound information processing system that can readily use ultrasound components or algorithms from different manufacturers or different models.
It would be further desirable to provide an ultrasound communication method in which a first ultrasound device may change internal parameters of a second ultrasound device without requiring knowledge of the specific internal memory map of the second ultrasound device.
It would be further desirable to provide an ultrasound communication method that is based on a serial bus architecture for allowing flexibility, scaleability, and plug-and-play simplicity in an ultrasound information processing system.
It would be still further desirable to provide an ultrasound communication method that properly synchronizes ultrasound devices coupled to the serial bus.
It would be even further desirable to provide an ultrasound communication method that permits ready communications between any two devices connected to the serial bus, without requiring their application layer programs to contain detailed serial bus communications instructions.